The Phillies announced this morning that they have activated the third baseman Alec Bohm from the 10-day injured list. Catcher Aramis Garcia was designated for assignment to make room for Bohm on the club’s active roster. Bohm was originally scheduled to return to action later this week, but will now join the team early and bat fifth in today’s starting lineup.
Bohm, 28, has been on the injured list for a little over two weeks with a hand strain. The third baseman has had something of a breakout season this year, hitting .290/.343/.462 with a 122 wRC+ that ranks as the best of his career over a full season. He has also made great strides defensively at third base, going from a mediocre defender at the position (+1 Outs Above Average, -9 Defensive Runs Saved) in 2023 to a well-above-average glove (+6 Outs Above Average, +1 Defensive Runs Saved) at the hot corner this year. Overall, Bohm’s progress on both sides of the ball this year has made him the fourth most valuable third baseman in the sport by fWAR in 2024, behind only Jose Ramirez, Matt ChapmanAnd Rafael Devers.
As the Phillies finish the regular season with their eyes on their third consecutive playoff appearance, the club is surely hoping that Bohm will be back to full fitness in the future. The infielder began to falter a bit in the weeks leading up to his placement on the injured list, with a lackluster slash line of .232/.283/.304 in his final 15 games before being benched. Still, even a slightly weaker version of Bohm would be a significant improvement for the Phillies, as an injury to Edmundo Sosa shortly after Bohm’s own injury left the club to find a solution for the third base between Kody Clemens, Weston WilsonAnd Buddy Kennedy. That experiment didn’t go well, as the trio has combined for a .107/.167/.143 slash since Sosa was placed on the injured list earlier this month.
As for Garcia, the 31-year-old has participated in parts of five major league seasons since making his MLB debut with the Giants in 2018, serving primarily as a backup catcher filling in for clubs struggling with injuries. His longest major league stint came with the Reds in 2022, when he posted a lackluster .213/.248/.259 batting average in 115 appearances in 47 games. Overall, Garcia is a career .211/.248/.325 major league hitter. He was added to the Phillies’ roster last week to provide some depth behind Garrett Stubbs while JT Realmuto was out of action due to a day-to-day injury. However, Realmuto has returned to the lineup in recent days, making Garcia’s continued presence in the squad unnecessary.
